BOCA RATON, Fla. — Private prison operator The GEO Group was awarded a contract for the housing of up to 600 immigration detainees by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, or ICE. Officials in Karnes County Texas officials awarded the contract, and GEO Group expects to generate $15 million in annual revenues.

The inmates will be housed at GEO’s yet-to-be-built 600-bed Civil Detention Center that will be located in Kames City, Texas. The $32 million center will be financed, developed and managed by GEO Group and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2011.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in our company by Karnes County and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said George C. Zoley, chairman and CEO at GEO, in a statement. “This important project will be the first Civil Detention Center for immigration detainees in the United States. We look forward to this new public-private partnership with Karnes County and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”